Alex Iwobi pulled one back for Arsene Wenger’s side in the second half but it was not enough to make it 23 consecutive unbeaten appearances for the Germany international.

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Mustafi had gone 15 Premier League unbeaten – more than any other player in England’s top flight – before Watford’s arrival at the Emirates.

The Gunners had only lost three matches all season before Tuesday’s defeat, after losing to Liverpool on the opening day of the season and back-to-back defeats against Everton and Manchester City in December.

But Mustafi did not feature in any of these three defeats after suffering a hamstring injury after the 24-year-old made his debut in a 2-1 victory over Southampton in September.